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Monday, April 28, 2014

You know, it's very easy to have pity parties for ourselves. And, most often than not, it's during the quiet times. When life isn't crazy busy, and our waking moments filled. It comes when we hear of God's blessing on others, and we think, "Why not me, Lord?".

We overlook with everything God has blessed us with, and wait discontentedly for God's timing on others. This was me last week, and God showed me that the answer wasn't pity parties, but being thankful for blessings--big and small--that He gives each day.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

However, today is not a normal Thursday and I have been given specific orders to sit on my couch and read, watch a movie, surf the web...do nothing strenuous. I'm cool with that.

"Why?" You ask.

Ahhh, because I finally got my wisdom tooth pulled out. The decaying one. The one that inspired my amazing pancake recipe! [Have you tried it yet?] And, the one that has caused excruciating pain until I was introduced to Mersyndol with codeine. Then it was just a dull throb.

So, after over a decade of not going to the dentist, I was forced to go last Wednesday. I had x-rays of my teeth done and was told about my wisdom tooth that needed immediate removal as well as cavities that needed filling [5, but 3 were in the wisdom teeth] and strong suggestions to get the other wisdom teeth removed sometime in the close future.

I was put on antibiotics and told I could get my tooth pulled this past Tuesday. Since it was Easter weekend and the office was closed, I waited till Monday to call and leave a message, as well as give them a ring, Tuesday morning. The secretary told me they didn't have any openings till the following week. Well, that wouldn't work--I have plans this weekend and all of next week and on top of that, the pain was killing me.

My sweet friends strongly encouraged me to go to a different dentist. So, I called one they were all advocating and was able to book an appointment for this afternoon at 2. Let me tell you, I was a bundle of nerves. First I had to go to the original dentist's office to pick up a copy of my x-rays and sign a release form. And then head over to Dr. M's office just over the train tracks--all within 15 minutes. I didn't want to be late for my first appointment!

I made it with 5 minutes to spare [no worries, speeding was not involved] and the secretary gave me a new patients registration form to fill out. I had just sat back down after handing back the clipboard, when a assistant called my name. She had me sit in a dental chair, and after answering some questions, the Doctor came in. He looked in my mouth, told me the basics of what I needed done, and then asked me if I wanted him to remove my tooth. I took a deep breath and said yes.

He proceeded to freeze my mouth in several different spots. He started off by numbing the gums and the inside of my cheek. Half my tongue froze too, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't intended :D Then I felt pressure on either side of the tooth...one of which made me say owww and cause my eyes to fly open. The whole time he was telling me to breathe in deep and let it out slowly. I think my clenched hands and my tightly shut eyes were an indication of my nervousness. He was very gentle and kind and did a thorough job. When he was done, the assistant

[I wish I could remember her name!] had me watch a short post-op dvd and then I got to watch a tiny bit of Chopped Canada?? One of the cooking shows that Alton Brown is host of. It was pretty cool...one of the chefs had to cook on an upside down wok! It was amazing. [I didn't get to see who won, though...hope it was her!]

I digress.

When Dr. M came back, and he tipped me back in the chair, I felt my heart racing. My imagination has run wild ever since I was told I need an extraction, and my co-worker's words, "I didn't want to be put asleep because I didn't want to choke on my own blood" kept haunting my mind. It was all for naught. I did hear bone crunching--eww, so gross!--and lots of pressure, but I didn't actually feel him pull it out and when he straightened, I was amazed it was over so fast.

Five minutes and it was out. Painless. And no worries of having any trouble from that tooth again.

Moral of the story? Have regular check-ups with a Dentist. And, get your wisdom teeth pulled out--they just beg to get cavities anyway. Saves you the trouble of paying to get them filled :D

Ps. I think the tooth is pretty cool. Gross and fascinating all at the same time. I know I'll appreciate the photos, as I'll most likely lose the real thing :D

Monday, April 21, 2014

I was walking home from work tonight, when this verse popped in my head. And, I realized I have not been as thankful as I should be. Actually, probably not at all.

I had my birthday a couple months ago, and I realized...I'm getting old[er]. And, I think for me, this birthday really hit my singleness home. I think all girls [at least all the ones I know!] hope and dream of having a family of their own, and I'm no different [10 kids and all ;)].

You know, it's one thing to say "trust God and wait for His perfect timing" but another thing altogether to live it out. It's hard not to feel a twinge of envy when I look at my married friends and their darling children and not want that for myself.

Yet, even in my single.not.even.dating state...I have so much to be thankful for.

So, I thought maybe I could do some posts of things I'm thankful for and give a list tonight to start: "because there is always, always, always something to be thankful for" in whatever stage of life you find yourself in.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Pancakes are so good any time of day. For breakfast, lunch, or supper--even as a snack! My earliest memory of making pancakes, is with my friend Tracey. I remember asking her how she knew when to flip the pancakes and she told me about the bubbles. When the bubbles on top begin to pop, it's time to turn them over! I was so fascinated.

Pancakes should be soft, fluffy, and full of flavour. The true test of good pancakes is if they're good cold and with no toppings. That's when you've found a winner.

I've made these twice now--mainly because they're one of the few things I can eat. You see, I've been fighting going to the dentist, and it has caught up with me. The pain is so sharp, I can feel it from the tip of my head to my shoulder on my right side {the side of the offending tooth}. I finally gave in and went to the dentist on Wednesday, and he told me that my wisdom teeth all had to come out and the top right one has completely decayed. I suppose I shouldn't have waited 12 years between dentist visits, eh? :P

Whether you need to eat pancakes out of necessity {they are utterly delicious}, or just have a craving for them, I hope you turn to my recipe.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Whenever I want to make a super yummy and simple dessert, cheesecake never fails. Specifically, one that doesn't have to be baked. Like my Creamy, Dreamy Oreo Dessert. From start to finish, it takes me about 15 minutes to put this dessert together. Even shorter if one uses cool whip instead of whipping cream...which I don't suggest, because it won't taste as good :)

This past Sunday, I made Fluffy cheesecake out of my Kraft book. It's a 3-1 type of thing, with recipes including the Jello brand, Cool Whip, Philadelphia cream cheese, and Baker's chocolate. This recipe I pulled from the cheesecake section. Normally, I make this recipe off the top of my head; I don't use a recipe. However, for the purpose of this post, I decided to {kinda} follow this one!

It is creamy and light with just the right amount of texture with the graham crust. I served mine with cherry pie filling, but you can top your cheesecake with whatever you want :D

2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until well blended. Gently fold in your whipped cream.

3. Spoon into crust and top with topping of choice. {For fresh fruit, I would wait until just before serving to put it on.}

4. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.

5. I always make these into squares, so for this, you omit the pie crust. Mix 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/3 cup of melted butter. Press onto the bottom of and 8 inch square pan. Continue as directed.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

I saw this cookbook at the Superstore, and having restricted myself to shop cookbooks with a purpose, I didn't get it the first few times I went grocery shopping.

Every time I would pass by the book aisle [...yes, yes...I didn't have to go down that aisle, but--whatever, I always do :P] I looked and picked it up; tried to find some justification in buying another cookbook--apparently, loving cookbooks doesn't count ;)

Then! I saw a recipe for these babies. You see, I have a dear friend who adores pop tarts, but whose husband doesn't...approve of pop tarts {ya know, 'cause they're bad for you and all. Plus, they taste like cardboard} and I thought this would be perfect for her.

I was supposed to make them several weeks ago for her birthday...but, yeah, I missed that boat. Here's to hoping she'll love them so much, it won't matter if they're a few weeks late :D I took some over to her house last night for us girls to test them out after we helped her pack. Moving and a baby all within 2 weeks? You go, girl :D

I made raspberry, and brown sugar/cinnamon. While I wouldn't call them out of this world good...they are pretty good. I think the more I practice making them, the better they'll be. I used raspberry jam, and I think that had a part in making the tarts a little too sweet. For the brown sugar/cinnamon ones, I need to add more spice. Although, maybe if my crust was rolled out a little more thin, I wouldn't have overfilled the pop tarts and they would've been perfect?

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out, but, I have plans for making them taste spectacular :D

Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

Classic Snacks Made from Scratch

Casey Barber

*I used raspberry jam filling, but only because I was running out of time. My next try will be true to the recipe :D*

Crust

2+1/2 cups flour

2 tsps sugar

1/2 tsp salt

8 tblsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2in cubes

1/4 cup ice-cold water

1 tblsp distilled white vinegar

1 large egg whisked with 1 tblsp water, for egg wash

Make the Dough

1. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a food processor to sift and combine.

2. Add the butter and shortening and pulse in 3-second bursts until partially incorporated with pea-sized chunks visible and a texture resembling moist cornmeal.

3. With the processor running, drizzle the water and vinegar through the feed just until a shaggy and crumbly dough starts to form. Transfer to a bowl; divide the dough in half and shape into 2 discs. Wrap plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour {or overnight}

Strawberry Filling

1 lb. strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup sugar
1 tblsp lemon juice

1. While the dough chills, cut the strawberries in halves or quarters, depending on size, and mash roughly with a potato masher in a large bowl. Keep a bunch of big chunks in there; they'll break down in the jam, but it'll be more interesting that way.

2. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to break down the berries slightly. Stir once or twice while the berries sit to dissolve the sugar.

3. Pour the strawberries and their liquid into a high-sided pan or Dutch oven. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once the berries come to a boil, remove the strawberry chunks with a slotted spoon or flat mesh strainer and reserve in a medium bowl. Continue to let the syrup boil, stirring often, until thickened and jelly-like, about 15-20 minutes.

4. Return the strawberry chunks to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes more, until the jam is the desired thickness and consistency. Transfer to a clean bowl or Mason jar.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Last Thursday, I made these soft, buttery Toffee Bars. In my haste, however, I mis-read the recipe and started off with a "whoopsie".

All was not lost though! I flipped through my cookbook, and just a couple pages after this scrumptious recipe, I found one that would work for my "mess-up"....

Ultimate Oatmeal Cookies! And, guys...I have been wanting to make Monster Oatmeal Cookies for a loooonnnnnngggggg time, so these were a wonderful variation! I took'em to church for a snack after our Bible study and prayer because I just knew I would eat all of'em...that night. They are absolutely delicious.

I made the recipe as is, until I got to the mix-ins. I divided the dough in half and added chocolate chips and M&M's to one, and raisins and craisins to the other!

I preferred the ones with chocolate...simply because they are yummier. I'm not a fan of fruit in my cookies, such as raisins, but mostly because of the texture. However, I have plenty of friends who would much rather prefer raisins to chocolate chips! I just call'em weird :D

Honestly though, the raisin/craisin cookies were much softer. I think it was because I had to boil my raisins...they had lost their plumpness sitting in their little snack-size cartons. I have no kids to eat them, and I have no idea what possessed me to buy them in the first place. Perhaps I was on a healthy-snacks-only kick.

Either way, they were put to good use and lent themselves to be quite useful in making my cookies soft :D

Ultimate Oatmeal Cookies

Betty Crocker

1+1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats

1+1/3 cups flour

1 cup raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, and/or M&M's

1. Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar, butter, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and eggs with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Stir in the oats, flour and mix-in{s}.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

And, a week ago today, I shared how my friend was going to have her baby pretty soon?

Well.....my little darling nephew was born on Sunday night at 11:28 pm!

T was having contractions throughout the night on Saturday, and then all morning at church the next day. As her husband was out of town, we decided to go to the hospital and just find out how things were going so she could notify him.

She came over to my house after our afternoon service, and we had a supper of hot dogs before heading out. T was convinced she would be told it was false labour and end up being sent home, so we brought Russell with us.

We made a quick pit stop at Tim Hortons, but T was soon registering in Emerg and we were told to head upstairs to Triage. The nurse hooked her up to some monitors and we hung out for about half an hour. R was having a grand time looking at all the new things and he was totally fascinated by the beeping machines :D

Sure enough, the nurse told T that she was having contractions, but Baby wasn't ready to come just yet. Maybe in the next day or two. So, we packed up and after dropping me off at my house, T went on home. But, just in case...I had my phone on and beside me for the rest of the evening.

I had just finished folding my laundry, when T called me and told me to come NOW. This was around 9:45? Time started getting fuzzy about this time! I grabbed my keys and wallet and jumped in my car...only to realize I had no gas. {Since I've moved right behind work, I seldom gas up as I don't do very much driving}. Eek! I had just enough in there to get me to the gas station where I did the self-serve and got out in about 3 minutes. T called me and was like "Where are you?!?!?! This baby is coming now!!" ...I flew down the highway. On my way, David called me to let me know he had Theresa call an ambulance.

When I got to their house--thank goodness T had the foresight to tell me to keep the house key when I tried to give it back a couple months ago!!--I let my self in and called out for her. She was upstairs, laying down, on the phone with the 911 operator. She had just had a contraction when I got up there and the lady was timing them. They were about 3 minutes apart, but T was doing good. Their hospital bags were in the middle of the room so--after checking to make sure she was fine--I headed out to put them in the car. Russell and I would follow behind the ambulance. I also had to switch his car seat over to mine and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get it unhooked from the bolt in the seat. Finally, I got one to come out, and I went back upstairs to check on T, and although she was breathing a little harder, she seemed ok. {One thing [of many!] I learned: don't leave a pregnant woman who is on the verge of giving birth no matter how much she says she's fine!} I went back out to the car to work on the other latch. I was just about to go back in when I saw the amber, blue, and red lights of the ambulance. I waited to show them into the house and lead them up to Theresa. The first thing I noticed when I got upstairs {followed by 4 EMT ladies}, was that T was on the floor. My first thought was--"how in the world did she get down there!!?"

I found this out later, but the operator lady told her to get up, gather a sheet, blankets, and a string...preparing for birthing her baby at home. She also asked her where her friend was {me} and I think freaked out a little when T told her I was gone {outside, switching the car-seat} [Sorry operator lady--I've not had kids and had NO idea how fast labour, labour progresses!! Now, I know :P] T was yelling out for me, but two stories below and outside--I heard not a thing.

Well, while the first group of EMT's were there, another ambulance showed up and those 4 ladies came up as well. They were so eager to help in the delivery, but since T had no complications with either of her pregnancies, they decided to take her to the hospital...and deliver on the side of the road if need be!

Can I just say how I'm very thankful for D's wisdom in getting his wife to call 911?! Because, I don't think we would've made it to the hospital in my car for her to deliver!

Once T was in the capable hands of the EMT's, I rushed around getting Russell ready to go to the hospital. I had finally gotten the car-seat switched over, and 5 minutes after the ambulance left, we sped off in the dark night.

The poor EMT ladies didn't get their wish that night of delivering a baby--but almost! Little Andrew was born about 5 minutes after T arrived at the hospital at 11:28 pm.

A perfect, amazing Miracle.

Welcome, little Buddy! I know your parents are so happy you're here and Russell is so excited to have a playmate! Right now, your cries make him laugh :D And, your Auntie can't wait to take pictures of your chubby little face :)

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I have wanted to travel to specific parts of Europe for a long, long time. In fact, for my 30th birthday, I plan on taking 6 beautiful weeks to explore to my heart's content.

Anyway! It's time to vote for this weeks theme, and voting is open until tomorrow {Thursday} until 8:00. But, don't wait till the last second--use this handy link {PR&P SPRING BREAK LOOK} to pick your favourite look for this week.

Check out the Eiffel Tower...she drew by hand on her wall. Amazing, I tell ya! And that coat--I totally want one in my size!! Visit her blog for some more details on this outfit and for more fabulously darling pictures of her model--The Crazy Tailor :D

About Me

Hello! I'm Elsa, and I'm glad you decided to visit my corner of the web :) I love baking, and I post recipes I've tried from my cookbooks, or from Pinterest {love that site!}. I also love photography and enjoy taking photos of friends/family/clients and editing them. And, sometimes, I ramble about my life :) Thanks for stopping by!